Keep These on Your Radar: Five Minnesota Twins Players Chasing Career Milestones in the 2026 Season

As the calendar flips to a new year, anticipation around Major League Baseball begins to rise rapidly. With Spring Training just weeks away, fans across the league are already counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report. Every team enters the season with a fresh slate, renewed optimism, and big goals to chase.

For Minnesota Twins fans, the excitement surrounding the 2026 season goes beyond wins and losses. Several key players on the roster are approaching meaningful career milestones—achievements that reflect longevity, consistency, and impact at the highest level of the sport.

While none of these marks will immediately land a player in Cooperstown, they are nonetheless worth monitoring. Reaching milestones in Major League Baseball is never easy, and each of these accomplishments represents years of dedication, durability, and performance against elite competition.

Here are five Minnesota Twins players who are on the verge of reaching notable career milestones during the 2026 MLB season—and why each one matters.

1. Pablo López Nearing 1,000 Career Strikeouts

Milestone to Watch: 1,000 career strikeouts

Pablo López enters the 2026 season sitting at 994 career strikeouts, accumulated over eight Major League campaigns. That places him just six strikeouts shy of the 1,000 mark—a milestone he is almost guaranteed to reach within his first one or two starts of the season.

Strikeouts are one of the most telling indicators of pitching dominance, and López has built his career around consistent swing-and-miss ability. He owns a career 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9), a strong figure that highlights both his command and the quality of his pitch mix.

Over the years, López has proven himself as a reliable rotation anchor. He recorded a 200-plus strikeout season in 2023, his first year with Minnesota, and followed that with two additional seasons of 170 or more strikeouts in 2022 and 2024.

Just as important as the milestone itself is the context surrounding it. Despite recent trade rumors swirling around the Twins’ roster, reports indicate that López is expected to remain in Minnesota. That means Twins fans will get to celebrate this achievement with him wearing the uniform he’s become synonymous with.

Reaching 1,000 strikeouts is not just a number—it’s a testament to López’s sustained excellence and his role as one of the most dependable starters in the American League.

2. Josh Bell Closing In on 200 Career Home Runs

Milestone to Watch: 200 career home runs

The Twins’ first major move of the offseason was signing Josh Bell, and the veteran slugger brings both power and experience to Minnesota’s lineup. Bell enters the 2026 season with 193 career home runs, placing him just seven away from reaching the 200-homer plateau.

Bell is coming off a productive 2025 campaign with the Washington Nationals, where he launched 22 home runs. Power has always been the calling card of Bell’s game, and his track record supports optimism that he’ll reach the milestone early in the season.

Across his career, Bell has produced four seasons with 20 or more home runs, including a standout 37-homer campaign. Perhaps most encouraging for Twins fans is how Bell finished last season—he hit six home runs in September, his highest total in any single month during 2025.

That late-season surge suggests Bell is still capable of delivering impactful power stretches. Given his role as a middle-of-the-order bat, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him reach 200 home runs by early May, if not sooner.

For Minnesota, Bell’s milestone would come with the added benefit of providing much-needed pop to the lineup, helping stabilize the offense while younger players continue to develop.

3. Byron Buxton Eyeing 200 Career Home Runs

Milestone to Watch: 200 career home runs

Few players on the Twins roster are as electric—or as polarizing—as Byron Buxton. When healthy, Buxton is one of the most dynamic players in baseball, combining elite defense, speed, and power. In 2025, he finally put it all together offensively.

Buxton earned Silver Slugger honors in 2025 after crushing a career-high 35 home runs, a breakout power display that redefined expectations for his offensive ceiling.

Entering the 2026 season, Buxton sits 32 home runs away from 200 for his career. While that number may seem ambitious, it is well within reach if he can stay on the field.

Outside of 2025, Buxton has reached the 20-homer mark only once before, back in 2022. Still, his 2025 dominance showed that he’s capable of sustaining elite power production when healthy and locked in.

Adding to the excitement, Buxton is expected to participate in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, offering him a chance to showcase his talent on an international stage. If he carries that momentum into the MLB season, the 200-homer milestone could become a reality by year’s end.

For the Twins, Buxton reaching this mark would symbolize not just longevity, but the payoff of patience through years of injury setbacks.

4. Ryan Jeffers Approaching 500 Career Hits

Milestone to Watch: 500 career hits

Since debuting in 2020, Ryan Jeffers has quietly developed into one of the Twins’ most reliable offensive contributors. While he may not always grab national headlines, his consistency has been invaluable.

Jeffers enters the 2026 season with 392 career hits, meaning he needs 108 more to reach the 500-hit milestone. Interestingly enough, that exact number matches his career-high 108 hits recorded in 2025.

If Jeffers can replicate last season’s production, he would reach 500 hits by the end of the 2026 campaign.

Beyond hits, Jeffers has compiled an impressive résumé. He has produced 8.3 bWAR since 2020 and has launched 68 career home runs, exceptional totals for a catcher who balances offense with demanding defensive responsibilities.

Reaching 500 hits would further solidify Jeffers’ status as a long-term piece for Minnesota and highlight his durability at one of baseball’s most physically taxing positions.

5. Joe Ryan Closing in on 50 Career Wins

Milestone to Watch: 50 career wins

Pitching wins may no longer be the gold standard for evaluating performance, but they still hold personal significance for pitchers—and Joe Ryan is on the cusp of a notable one.

Ryan is coming off one of the best starting pitching seasons by a Twin in the 21st century. In 2025, he earned his first All-Star selection, posting 194 strikeouts, 4.5 bWAR, and 13 wins.

Entering the 2026 season, Ryan has 46 career victories across five MLB seasons. That means he needs just four more wins to reach 50—a milestone he should realistically hit by May or early June, assuming normal rotation usage.

While modern analytics may downplay wins, they still reflect a pitcher’s ability to keep his team competitive deep into games. For Ryan, reaching 50 wins would underscore his emergence as a frontline starter and one of the cornerstones of the Twins’ pitching staff.

Final Thoughts: Small Milestones, Big Meaning

The 2026 season promises plenty of storylines for the Minnesota Twins, but these individual milestones offer fans extra moments to celebrate along the way. Each achievement represents years of perseverance in one of the most competitive environments in sports.

Whether it’s Pablo López reaching 1,000 strikeouts, Josh Bell and Byron Buxton chasing home run landmarks, Ryan Jeffers compiling hits, or Joe Ryan stacking up wins, these moments add depth and history to the season.

As Spring Training approaches and Opening Day looms, keep these milestones on your radar—they may arrive sooner than you think.